


In the snow

by UndeadFae



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Bittersweet, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, I Tried, Not Beta Read, Post Season 2, Winter Sports, touko is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 04:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20465225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadFae/pseuds/UndeadFae
Summary: During her second visit around Hokkaido, Touko decides to ask (read: drag) Fubuki to teach her more about winter sports. She helps a friend in need along the way.This fic is part of the ina11writingexchange on tumblr!





	In the snow

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! As you probably already saw this is part of a writing exchange, this is my part for @lisonari on tumblr! I have never written Touko before so I'm really hoping I got this right, hope you'll like it!

Despite having who Touko could easily argue was the best father of all times, he was still the prime minister. Which meant that he often had to travel around the country for important business. Going up and down the country wasn't as fun as it sounded once you got used to it.

It wasn't really a surprise when despite the secret services' protests, Touko bundled up in her heavy jacket every day to go for a walk- which meant she definitely was going to explore Hokkaido against everyone's will. In her defense, the one time she had gone there the team was far too busy training and kicking alien's ass to really do some decent tourism. It had been fun, though, that much she couldn't deny.

In the middle of her aimless wandering, Touko didn't quite realize she reached the nearby school until the distinct sound of whistles and a heated practice reached her. Sounded like someone was playing soccer nearby.

Excitement and curiosity having the best of her, Touko rushed up the snowy hill, nearly tripping along the way, to get a better look at the pitch. Maybe if she got lucky they would let her kick the ball for a bit.

The first thing she noticed were the familiar uniforms Then, she spotted the ice creeping on the ground, the shot encased in ice making its way towards the goal at full speed and the pale hair of her old friend being ruffled by the sudden wind picking up. While the team continued their practice, she hurried to make her way towards the pitch.

"Hey, Fubuki!" The sudden and overjoyed yell nearly broke his focus, narrowly dodging the oncoming ball and turning to face the source in one swift motion. Just as quickly as it came, the confusion vanished, a smile spreading on his face when his eyes landed on his friend.

"Touko!" Ball forgotten, Fubuki jogged over to greet her. The team decided to take it as their cue to take a break and breathe.

Happy greetings done, Touko quickly asked to join their practice, to absolutely no one's surprise. Not like they weren't happy to have her there, the girls already offering to lend her a uniform for the occasion. It was definitely better than sit around in a hotel room waiting for her dad to come back.

* * *

The next day, Touko was shamelessly waiting near the school before that day's lessons were even over yet. Somehow, Fubuki wasn't that surprised when he was greeted by her overly excited smile as soon as he stepped out of the main building.

"Can I join your practice today too?" Straight to the point.

"Well... Actually I was thinking of going ice skating first..." It's not that he didn't want her around, far from it. He just didn't think she would be as interested as when they played soccer, that's all- sure, she did enjoy snowboarding, but it just wasn't the same thing.

Apparently he was wrong, if her grin was anything to go by.

"Then I'll go with you! You could always teach me!" He blinked, taken aback by her enthusiasm.

"Well... alright. We can give it a try."

It took quite a few unsightly falls and bruises, but by the end of what was definitely more time than what they should've spent there, Touko was at least able to stay on her feet and move without tripping too much. Of course, that small achievement paled next to Fubuki's effortless grace on the ice, spinning and jumping like he always belonged there. So of course Touko did the most logical thing: she pouted. So what if Fubuki already knew how to do that-

"You're doing great, Touko! You'll become a very good skater with more practice!" Ok, forget the pout. Fubuki is too good to deserve that. Now she just felt bad.

"Ugh, you have to be lying, I don't get it- I just keep tripping!" Fubuki being too good for this world did little to stop her childish complains.

It was only when she realized how quiet Fubuki suddenly was that she looked back at her friend. His smile was almost strained, like it was a breath away from falling apart. When he noticed her staring, he just shook his head and waved it off. 

"Sorry, you just reminded me of... someone."

Touko almost wanted to ask. Her split second of hesitation was all Fubuki needed to sling the ice skates he already slipped out of over his shoulders and hurry her to do the same, to then pull out his phone to finally remember to tell the team were he was and what he was doing. She was fairly sure that was just an excuse.

The conversation and its suddenly sour mood were quickly forgotten, soccer practice keeping her tol busy to say anything else. Didn't mean she was about to give up though.

* * *

"By the way, Fubuki..."

"What is it?"

"Are you... you know... still fighting that bear?"

"Oh! Yes, some times- I mean, that was more Atsuya's thing than mine, but it's good practice now that I'm the forward too- and someone has to keep the old man in line. It's not that bad, I think he sees me as his rival now. He's been a good friend so far, I don't blame him."

"... Uh."

* * *

The next day Fubuki decided to go skiing before practice. Touko decided to follow him, unsurprisingly. Winter sports must really hate her with her miserable perfomance on those damn things. On the bright side, face planting into the snow and kind of accepting death seems to be doing wonders for Fubuki's mood, who by now just sort of gave up on helping her in favor of laughing along with her- and not one of his small chuckles either. It was a genuine laugh, pristine and soft like freshly fallen snow. It's a much welcome change from how she remembers him, carefully hiding the dark turmoil in his head behind polite smiles and dull gazes.

She wonders how he didn't fall apart sooner with all the poison stuffed into that surprisingly strong heart.

They finally took a break to drink some water and recover some of their energy before heading back to get started with soccer- at least there Touko won't make any more undignified falls. She hopes so.

In the peaceful silence of the empty track, she finally saw her chance to talk to him.

"So? How are things going around here?"

"It's alright. It's been very quiet around here lately though. We're still a small club, so we don't have that many matches or... anything else going on." His smile suddenly felt a bit more forced than before.

"... Are you ok...?" She knew the answer even before seeing Fubuki falter, any trace of a smile crumbling and vanishing.

"... I don't know." His grip on the bottle tightened, the other hand almost reaching up to touch a scarf that wasn't there anymore. "... It's weird. I was so used to Atsuya being there, always talking to me... It was like he never left. And now..." He didn't need to finish to let her know what he meant. She couldn't even imagine what it must've been like to be suddenly left alone like that, especially losing his family the way he did. For a moment she tried to picture it, to see herself losing her only family so suddenly, only to shut down that train of thought almost immediately. She quietly made a mental note of calling her dad on their way back.

For a while, there was only silence. Fubuki was once again lost in those bittersweet memories of a real childhood, Touko quietly watching him with a thoughtful frown. Because really, what could she say to that?

"Hey..." It was almost a whisper, nearly drowned out by the wind, but it was enough, Fubuki slowly turning to face her, as if he had just remembered that she was still there. There was something dull and broken in his eyes, the grief he usually hid so well now painfully clear. She had to say something, just hoping it would be good enough. "Listen- I know it's hard and I know I can't understand, but... even if it feels that way, you're not alone- you have so many friends who care about you! So... I-I don't know how we can help, but I know we can! You just... have to reach out. We'll always be there to help you."

Maybe it wasn't exactly what he needed to hear, but she could still hope it was the right thing to say.

"... I... I guess you're right..." Well, Fubuki didn't seem to be taking it the wrong way at least. That didn't exactly reassure Touko, not when the melancholy still wasn't leaving his eyes. "It's just... hard, I guess... I don't know..."

"That's ok. No one expects you to do it right away or get over it." With a bit more confidence than what she managed to muster up to speak, Touko placed a hand on his shoulder. If it startled him, he didn't let it show, wordlessly looking up at her. "You can take your time and do it when you feel ready. We'll be waiting for you no matter what."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, he smiled, something full of sadness and yet more genuine than all those crafted smiles keeping everyone at bay.

"... Thank you. I'll remember that."

* * *

Despite her terrible performance at any winter sport other than snowboarding, Touko didn't give up, excitedly waiting for Fubuki every day after the end of the school day, asking him what they were going to do as soon as she spotted him leaving the building and happily following him to wherever they were going to practice at. It certainly made the stay in Hokkaido a lot more entertaining than it would've been otherwise, giving her plenty of stories to tell her dad over dinner- he looked pretty happy with his daughter that excited too, win-win.

Even if it wasn't and would never be the same as having his twin there, Fubuki couldn't deny how her presence brightened his days, especially those lonely hours spent on winter sports all on his own, mulling over how different it would be if Atsuya, any of them, was still there with him. Maybe he should just listen to her and reach out- it sounded far easier said than done, but after knowing just how much loneliness could eat away at someone and corrupt them, a friendly smile didn't sound too bad.

He could almost hear Atsuya sneering and agreeing in his head. It made his heart ache just a little more.

* * *

"You're leaving already?" Despite how calm Fubuki sounded, bits of his disappointment still managed to slip into his voice. It wasn't easy to see his friends from the rest of Japan, after all.

"Yup- dad is done with his work here, so we're going back to Nara now." She really was happy seeing one of her friends again, but sometimes you just missed home no matter what.

"Oh, ok." He still managed to smile despite it all. "You should come back some day though, it was nice having you here, I know everyone would love to see you more often." Touko could definitely agree with that. The Hakuren team was a nice and fun group of friends- besides Araya still owed her another snowball battle. Maybe she could convince her dad to take a vacation around there next time he was free.

"I will! Though I also want to go back to Tokyo, you know? It'd be great to go visit Endou and the others." Fubuki's eyes lit up at the mention of their Raimon friends.

"Mh! I'd like that- maybe we could go and surprise them one day?"

"Sure! I'll tell you when we can go there then and we'll travel together! We could pick up everyone else from the other schools too on our way there!" Maybe she was planning a bit too much ahead of time, but hey, who cared, right? They would definitely do that if she had a saying in it. The idea of gathering the team that kicked some aliens' butt for the sake of the good ol' times was turning more and more tempting by the second. Yep, definitely happening.

When it was time for her to go back with her dad so they could get their things and head to the airport, Fubuki insisted on walking her back, just so he could talk with one of his friends a bit longer before saying goodbye. Touko didn't mind either, his company was far more welcome than many of the secret services- not that she didn't like them or appreciate how hard they were working, sometimes it was just... a bit hard with how much they woulf fuss over the smallest things. She knew they meant well, but she still wanted to be allowed to breathe a bit more often.

"By the way..." Fubuki just tilted his head, his silent way of asking her to go on. "I know I'm not the best for this kind of stuff... but you can call me if you ever need to talk. About anything- but also that stuff... you know." Suddenly, Fubuki's smile was a lot smaller and sadder than before, yet it still looked more genuine than most of the smiles he had showed back when they met him.

"It's alright, I know I can trust you... I'll keep that in mind, thank you." She didn't really expect him to call right as soon as he needed it and spew out all the emotional storm he still tried to keep bottled up, but that was ok. She would be there for her friend whenever he needed her. Whenever he felt ready.

Leaving the snowy landscape of Hokkaido behind wasn't easy, especially after such a hard goodbye, yet it also felt... refreshing, in a way. Touko would definitely be looking forward meeting her friend again.


End file.
